


Baekhyun on the Cliff by the Sea

by minijhi



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Domestic, Established Relationship, Forever-A-Squid-Baekhyun, Gen, M/M, a baekhyun mukbang tbh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-26
Updated: 2018-03-26
Packaged: 2019-04-07 12:01:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,370
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14080473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/minijhi/pseuds/minijhi
Summary: On Thursday, Minseok gets on a boat.  In his absence, Jongdae drinks a squid with his breakfast, trades slices of ham for wishes, and forgets to water their garden.Also known as “the adventures of xiuchen and their pet squid baekhyun.”





	Baekhyun on the Cliff by the Sea

**Author's Note:**

> I watched Ponyo last week and wanted to write something after Lisa/Koichi, but then [squid-](https://twitter.com/imununununn/status/975338309252628480)[baekhyun ](https://twitter.com/_____pcybbh/status/975416730846617600)[happened ](https://twitter.com/sj_pandaparking/status/975657081112965121)[and ](https://twitter.com/engine_s/status/975952854908153856)[I spent](https://twitter.com/EXODILE99/status/975373122185543684) days convincing myself not to write this, before writing it anyway.
> 
> There is no romance between Baekhyun and the others, because _he is a squid_. On the other hand, you can always count on the love story between Baekhyun and food.

Jongdae spends the morning sweeping leaves off the road and into the ocean.  Sometimes, he’s an awful person like that, but mostly, only on Thursdays.  Every Thursday, Minseok leaves for a four-day-work-weekend, and it’s imperative that Jongdae spends as much of the morning as possible in Minseok’s company before speeding off to work.

So into the ocean the leaves must go.

“Are you done yet?”  Minseok’s voice rings from the house.  “I made breakfast!”

“Yeah, almost!”  Jongdae calls back, heart singing.  He peers over the edge of the road down to the rocky shore below, scrutinizing the bed of fallen leaves he’s made at the edge of the sea.  A large wave rushes towards the shore, and Jongdae leans against the railing to watch, shouting a goodbye to the soon-to-be-gone leaves.

The waves crash over the rocks and Jongdae beams when the water recedes.  No more leaves.  Problem solved, Jongdae is a genius. Every day should be Thursday.

Except, the leaves are gone, but in their place is a squirming glass bottle.  Jongdae frowns. This is why no day should be Thursday, people always putting things that don’t belong into the ocean.

“Jongdae?  Any plans on joining me for breakfast?”  Minseok’s voice comes.

“Hold on.”  Jongdae replies, completely out of earshot.  He puts his broom down and takes the staircase down to the rocks.  When he’s finally level with the glass bottle, he sees the legs of a sea creature wriggling out from the mouth of the bottle.  After a moment's deliberation, Jongdae picks it up and the tentacles immediately go still.

“Minseok!  I found a squid!”  Jongdae shouts.

“What?”

“A squid!”  Jongdae rattles the bottle, watching the squid’s round face smush against the bottom.  The tiny mouth downturns a little, and then equally round eyes have opened to look at Jongdae.

“Minseok!  It has a face!”  Jongdae yells.

“Most squids do!”

Jongdae lifts the bottle higher so he can see the squid from below, where the face is pressed up against the glass.  The tiny round eyes stare back at him unblinkingly. “Not this kind of face.”

“Hello!”  The squid says.  Jongdae shrieks and leaps away, the bottle shattering against the ground.

“Oww.”  The squid gurgles, face-down in a shallow pool of water and ink.

Jongdae screeches.  “Minseok, it talks!”

Minseok’s head pops out from over the cliff.  “What is going on down there? Just bring it up, I’ll look at it!  You’re going to be late for work!”

“Sorry, sorry,”  Jongdae murmurs, scooping the squid up in his palms with a handful of water.  It flails against his palm, making little crying noises.  More specifically, a noise that sounds oddly like _"awful human with butter for hands how could it drop me--"_

Jongdae chooses to ignore that bit.

“You’re going to be okay, I’ve got you.”  Jongdae chants into his cupped palms, taking the stairs back to the house two-at-a-time.

“You really brought it up here.”  Minseok says, amused, when Jongdae returns.  He holds a small bucket out to Jongdae and Jongdae pours the squid into it, topping the water up at the faucet by the door when the squid does an eager twirl.  Jongdae thunks the bucket onto the ground and washes his ink-stained hands.

“Go get changed, I'll give him a bath.”  Minseok offers.

Jongdae complies.  Their bedroom is on the second floor of their small ocean-front home, and a comfy sweater and pair of jeans are already arranged neatly across the bed.  Jongdae gets dressed, looking out the window and sees Minseok's ship in the distance, coming for shore.  Another Thursday, come far too quickly.

Downstairs, Jongdae grabs the thermos off the kitchen counter, sneaking a few bites from Minseok’s half-eaten plate of food, and then sitting down to finish everything because it all tastes so good.

The bags of groceries and supplies Jongdae had bought for work yesterday are lined up by the door.  Jongdae sets the thermos inside one of the bags and picks the lot of them up.

“I ate your breakfast, you can eat mine.”  Jongdae calls, looking around for Minseok.

“Okay.”  Minseok says agreeably from the front door.  He's holding Jongdae’s jacket up for him.  Jongdae slides his arms into both sleeves while stepping into his shoes.

“There’s broken glass down by the shore, can you clean it up for me, please?”  Jongdae says, juggling the few bags awkwardly when he loses his balance.

“I’ve got it.”  Minseok says, putting a hand over Jongdae’s shoulder to steady him that turns into a fond squeeze.  “Don’t forget to water the garden while I’m gone. Now get going!”

Jongdae makes it two steps, before Minseok grabs him by the wrist.

“Your lunch!”

Jongdae spins back for it, and his lips meet Minseok’s.

Minseok grins, holding up the packed bag of sandwiches.  He looks far too perfect in their doorway, cheery and soft and far-too-fluffy in Jongdae's old apron.  Jongdae grabs the lunch bag and kisses Minseok again, once, twice before hurrying out the front door.

He’s just tossed the sandwiches and supplies into the passenger seat when he stops, turning to look at the house.

“Minseok!  Come down, please!”  Jongdae calls. At once, the screen door slides open and Minseok emerges, frilly white apron visible for the world to see.

“Did you forget something else?”  Minseok asks.

“Mm-hmm.”  Jongdae says, running back to the small wooden gate to meet him.  He leans over to kiss Minseok again, chaste and sweet. “I love you, have a safe trip.”  Jongdae says, and Minseok’s face lights up the already sunny morning.

~

Along the winding road Jongdae drives, breathing in the fragrance of flowers in full bloom through the open window.  There’s no better morning to drive to work than a spring one.  It's chilly enough to need a light jacket, but warm enough that Jongdae sometimes forgets.  In the houses along the road, children are getting ready to go to school, and a couple of them wave at Jongdae, others asleep on their feet with their faces planted into the backseat of their respective vehicles.

Jongdae reaches into the passenger’s seat for his drink, catching the thermos between his thighs and twisting the lid open.

“Thanks for harvesting the beansprouts, Jongdae!  Come over again one day, my wife loved talking to you!”  An old man calls as he glides past on his bicycle. Jongdae gives a jerky wave, thermos halfway to his mouth, but the man is already gone.

“Please don’t drink me.”  A voice says from the vicinity of his coffee, and Jongdae refocuses his gaze onto a very unwelcome sight.

Spluttering, he flings the thermos out the open car window and skids to a stop.  In the rearview mirror, he can see the squid flopping around on the sidewalk.  Jongdae's thankful he didn't take someone out with the bottle. He drives up into an empty driveway and goes to the squid, picking up the empty thermos along the way.

“You should stop throwing things around when you’re scared of them, that’s not how you solve problems.”  The squid says, looking at Jongdae reproachfully.

“Look here, you.”  Jongdae says.

“I’m trying to give you life advice.”  The squid continues, and Jongdae drops him back into the empty thermos and shuts the lid.

~

Jongdae takes his late lunch at two in the afternoon, during which he finally returns to the car to retrieve his lunch and uncover the squid.  But the thermos is empty, and the paper bag Minseok packed for him is suspiciously soggy.

The bag squeaks when Jongdae picks it up and shakes it.

“You!”  Jongdae says, looking into the paper bag at the squid nestled between two slices of ciabatta.  The squid dives to hide beneath his lettuce blanket.

Jongdae gingerly lifts the sandwich out of the bag, unwanted ingredient and all.  “Ugh! Soggy squid bread.”

“My name is Baekhyun and your ham was very delicious.”  The squid informs Jongdae. Meekly, he inquires, “Do you have more?”

“I think you should go back into the ocean.”  Jongdae says, and tosses Baekhyun into the thermos once more.

~

“Before you return me to the sea, please give me some more ham.”  Baekhyun says, when Jongdae takes him down to the beach after work.  “I’ll grant one of your wishes.”

Jongdae fishes Baekhyun out of the water again.

“What do you mean you’ll grant one of my wishes?”  Jongdae asks.

“I’m a magical wish-granting squid.”  Baekhyun says, curling his tentacles around Jongdae’s fingers.  “Something like a genie, but instead of freedom I just want food.”

Jongdae makes sure Baekhyun can see his eye-roll.  “Sure.”

“Do you want fish?  Last year someone wanted a hundred fishes, and he gave me plenty of sausages.  I can give you a hundred fishes too.” Baekhyun says. His round face scrunches up in concentration, and Jongdae watches in alarm as a dozen fishes begin to rise out of the water and into the air.

“No, stop!”  Jongdae says.

“Those were your siblings.”  Jongdae says sternly, as the fish fall back into the water with a noisy splash.

“They were not!”  Baekhyun says. “They were flatfish.  Yummy flatfish that humans like to eat.”

“Humans also like to eat squid.”  Jongdae says.

Baekhyun rolls his eyes in the exact same way Jongdae had.  “You’d better pick me up before someone who saw me do that decides to steal me away for themselves.”  He advises Jongdae. “Please take some seaweed for the narrow cavern you keep putting me in, it’s very uncomfortable in there.”

Jongdae obediently scoops Baekhyun back into the thermos, gathering a handful of plants for Baekhyun’s munching pleasure.

“Not for munching pleasure, it’s my house!”  Baekhyun protests. Easily distracted, he adds, “When we get home, can you make pizza?”

“I don’t make pizza.”  Jongdae says, watching Baekhyun’s crestfallen expression.  It'd be nice to get a wish someday, maybe.  “I can put in an order for a delivery.”

“I’ll grant you so many wishes you won’t know what hit you.”  Baekhyun promises.

~

“Where did the other man go?  The one you had to kiss fifty times before you could go into the land-boat yesterday.  I thought he would be here again this morning so you could do the ritual kissing.” Baekhyun asks, floating around in a mason jar with his tentacles billowing aimlessly.  He’s sat on the coffee table, watching Jongdae while he works on the shopping list.

“Minseok?  I wish.” Jongdae says absently, and writes, _more cat food_.  “He works on a ship, so he had to go away for awhile.  He’ll be back on Sunday evening. Did you talk to him before we left?”

“Yeah!”  Baekhyun says.  “He told me he sometimes collects plants and other strange things from the sea, but I’m a first.”

“You’re definitely the first something.”  Jongdae agrees, thinking about the time they had to host a stingray in their bathtub for a month.  It hadn’t had nearly as much to say as Baekhyun does. In fact, Jongdae hadn’t heard a word from it the entire time.  Silence fills the air briefly, while Jongdae rereads his list.  Baekhyun hovers near the mouth of the jar as he always does, absently gnawing on his seaweed home.

Jongdae taps the glass of Baekhyun’s jar with his pen.

“Where did you learn to speak, anyway?  Why do you have a face?”

“Why do _you_ have a face?”  Baekhyun retorts.  “I like my face.”

“It’s a nice face,”  Jongdae says, “but no other squid I’ve ever seen looks like you.”

Baekhyun does a lazy backflip, splashing water against Jongdae’s hand.  “You need to go into the ocean more, then. I’m a very common type of cephalopod.”

Curiously, Jongdae asks, “Where did a small thing like you learn a big word like that?”

“Where I also learnt words like ravenous, and famine, and please-benevolent-provider-of-food--”

Jongdae pushes up his sleeves, and on his forearm writes _google cephalopod vocabulary???_

“You awful creature.  That was a brand new packet of ham, and you’ve almost finished all of it.”

“Is there leftover pizza then?”  Baekhyun asks, and Jongdae shakes his head in disbelief.

There is, to Baekhyun’s delight, plenty of leftover pizza.

~

The days go by quickly with Baekhyun around, and soon Jongdae is waking up on Sunday morning to Minseok’s nose pressed against the back of his neck.

“You're home early.”  Jongdae says, turning over so that they’re face-to-face.  Minseok cracks open one eye, and pecks Jongdae on the cheek before burying his face in the blankets.  Jongdae smiles, curling back up against Minseok.

A shrill cry pierces the air.

“Jongdae!  Jongdae, help!  There’s a beast!”

Jongdae groans.

“I see the squid is still around.”  Minseok says.

“His name is Baekhyun.”  Jongdae sighs.

“He sleeps with his mouth open.”  Minseok says, pressing his palm flat against Jongdae’s stomach.  “I passed by the tank this morning on my way up. He’s cute.”

Baekhyun shrieks again downstairs, and Jongdae swears he hears the birds on the tree outside take flight.

“Much cuter when he’s asleep, though.”  Minseok adds.

Jongdae flops out of bed and heads for the bathroom.  Moments later, Minseok slips in after him, and Jongdae forgets all about Baekhyun’s yelling.

~

Tan is batting at Baekhyun’s aquarium with his paws when Jongdae finally goes downstairs to see what the ruckus is about.

“There you are, Tan!  Where have you been?” Jongdae asks, lifting the kitten off the mantel and snuggling him against his cheek.  Tan makes a pedaling motion towards Baekhyun again, and Baekhyun cowers at the bottom of the tank.

“Don’t let him go!”  Baekhyun says.

Minseok takes Tan from Jongdae’s arms and the cat stops kicking, nuzzling against Minseok’s chin instead.  Jongdae swats at his tail.

“Your cat is showing blatant favouritism again.”  Jongdae grumbles. He looks around for Baekhyun’s jar and moves him into it, smiling when Baekhyun gives Tan a nasty glare, swimming up to the mouth of the jar to look at the kitten.

A few things happen at once.  Tan leans over and promptly licks Baekhyun across the head;  Baekhyun yells and Jongdae pulls back, startled; Minseok tucks Tan under his pajama top.

“It’s okay, it’s Minseok’s kitty.”  Jongdae says, taking Baekhyun out into his hands to comfort him, gently stroking the back of his head.  For all that he is a sea critter, he often seems to prefer the habitat of Jongdae's palms.

“He nearly ate me.”  Baekhyun cries.

“No, he didn’t, he’s only a baby.”  Jongdae says, motioning for Minseok to retrieve Tan from the inside of his shirt.  Tan pokes his head out the collar and inspects Baekhyun contemplatively. “He’s cute and friendly, look.”

Tan pounces out of Minseok’s shirt and Baekhyun shrieks again, but the kitten simply returns to the mantel, clearly having decided that the small fishy thing is not worth his interest.

“Okay, maybe he’s not friendly, but he’s harmless."  Jongdae amends.

“That was an eventful morning.”  Minseok says.  “What do you guys want for breakfast?”

“No, Minseok,”  Jongdae begins, but it’s too late, the damage is done.

“I love food.”  Baekhyun chirps, sliding off Jongdae’s palms to cling to Minseok’s knee.  “Do you have ham? I’ll grant you one wish for every slice. I like cheese too.”

Jongdae slumps to the floor, just as boneless, defeated.

~

“The king of all ramyeon!  The noodle chunks are cooking!  Where did that egg come from, who knows?  Is! That! Ham!” Baekhyun reports from Minseok’s elbow, whizzing around along with Minseok’s arm movements.

Why Baekhyun is so fixated on giving a live commentary of Minseok’s cooking, Jongdae cannot tell, and his eight-a.m. brain only functions enough for him to sit at the island counter, drinking coffee from a spare thermos while enviously watching Tan sleep on the couch.

“Don’t come up to my arm, Baekhyun!”  Minseok scolds.

“I just wanna see.”  Baekhyun says, and tries to peer into the pot of cooking ramyeon.  Excited, he twists his way up Minseok’s arm again.

His tentacles curl dangerously close to the water, and when his body tips slightly, Jongdae lurches up from his chair, wide-awake.

Minseok snatches Baekhyun away from the stove.

“No more cooking for you.”  Minseok says, dropping him into the mason jar and passing him to Jongdae.  Jongdae clutches the jar tightly, watching Minseok wash his hands and return to the boiling water.

“I just wanted to see some cooking.”  Baekhyun says dejectedly, letting his arms float to the surface of the water.

“If you’d fallen in you would have had first-hand experience.”  Jongdae says. “You’re supposed to grant wishes, I don’t want to eat you yet.”

Baekhyun licks the glass of the jar, then pushes his face against it.  “But _ramyeon_.”

Minseok returns, holding a noodle between his chopsticks.  “Say ahh, Baekhyun.”

Surging to the top of the jar, Baekhyun implores for Jongdae to lift him out of the glass.  Jongdae does, and sets him in an empty plate on the table.

Baekhyun’s face is the epitome of contentment when Minseok lowers the noodle to his mouth, slurping noisily and chasing it around the plate instead of letting the noodle go to him.

“That was great, Minseok!”  Baekhyun declares. “Ramyeon is amazing!  You’re the best cook ever!”

“Excuse me, who fed your every whim for four whole days?”  Jongdae says, stirring Baekhyun around the plate with the chopsticks.

The fire sizzles, sending a puff of warm air towards them when Minseok lifts the lid of the pot.

“Did someone order three bowls of ramyeon?”  Minseok says, placing the tray of food down at the table.  Steam fills Jongdae’s face and he seizes Baekhyun before he can dive into the soup.

“Me, me!”  Baekhyun cheers, but ducks into Jongdae’s sleeve when he spots Tan, who has come over to see what all the fuss is about.

They eat breakfast at the small table in the cozy kitchen, the four of them together, and when Baekhyun reminds Jongdae that he owes him a wish, Jongdae simply can’t think of one.

~

When evening has fallen, and Baekhyun is dozing in a self-induced food-coma, Jongdae and Minseok take a walk down the winding roads of the town.  The air is cool and they wander hand-in-hand, Minseok collecting fallen flower petals in his hair.

In the gardens of the houses they pass, people play fetch with their puppies, read books in rocking chairs and sit on the porch, drinking tea.  Jongdae waves at them as he passes, and a few come out to say hello.

“You’ve made a lot of friends since we’ve moved here.”  Minseok says, pressing his shoulders against Jongdae’s as they walk.

“Everyone is really nice.”  Jongdae agrees. “I help them with little chores and stuff sometimes, and they always invite me over for dinner.  I’ve gotten to know a lot of people like that, and it’s nice not eating dinner alone so much anymore.”

Jongdae stops himself abruptly, squeezing Minseok’s hand.

“I didn’t mean--”  He says hurriedly, his brain belatedly catching up to his mouth.

Minseok offers him a small smile, bringing Jongdae’s hand to his lips.  “I know, Jongdae. I’m happy you have friends here. I worried at first.”

“What, you don’t think this city boy would have adapted to your tiny beach town?”  Jongdae teases.

“Clearly, it was the town I should have worried about.”  Minseok says, and his smile is lighter. Jongdae is glad.

“I spotted a new tide pool the other day, do you want to see?”  Minseok asks. “It has seaweed that looks like the hairstyle you sported when we first met.”

Jongdae pushes him into Mrs. Kim’s rose bushes.

~

Thursday comes around again.  Most Thursdays are okay.  Not the best, but okay.  But on this particularly one, Jongdae gets home from a long day at work and lies on the wooden floor of his bedroom, with his legs propped against the bedframe.

Baekhyun is watching _The Little Mermaid_ on the floor several feet away, and Jongdae has to get up periodically to spray Baekhyun with a bottle, since the squid apparently enjoys being out of his jar more than he does breathing.

Jongdae hears a ship cut through the water right outside the window, and turns to lie on his side, legs curling up against the floor.  He wonders if it’s Minseok’s ship, and refuses to run for the window to find out.

Something plods across the floor and slaps wetly against his back.

Rubbing a hand across his face, Jongdae sits up.

“What’s wrong, Baekhyunnie?  Don’t you like the movie?”

“You’re crying.”  Baekhyun says, draping himself over Jongdae’s knee.  His sense of balance isn’t nearly as good as his observation, however, and he ends up clawing into Jongdae’s leg.

“You could wish for Minseok to stay home.”  Baekhyun says. “I haven’t done something like that before, but I’ll try, for you.”

Jongdae puts his hand between them and lets Baekhyun curl his arms around Jongdae’s fingers.  Tiny, baby squid arms, with not much more muscle than a cooked spaghetti.  Jongdae wonders how old Baekhyun is, if Baekhyun even knows.  And then, abruptly and uncalled for, Jongdae wonders if this is what it would be like to raise a child with Minseok.  Jongdae inhales sharply.

It's another minute before he can turn to face Baekhyun again.

“No wishes of the sort, Baekhyun, please. Minseok loves his job, and I do too.”

Baekhyun is silent for a moment.

“Why don’t you become a fisherman?”  Baekhyun asks. “Then you and Minseok can go out to sea together every day, in your own boat.  You can name it after me.”

“I’m afraid of the ocean.”  Jongdae admits, not certain Baekhyun can understand it.  Baekhyun fears nothing, only kittens with sandpaper tongues, and even that was short-lived.

“Why?”  Baekhyun asks.  “It’s not scary.  It’s just like land, except it’s water.  And all the food is uncooked.”

“That is a problem.”  Jongdae says. He smiles.  Carefully, he scoots across the floor, taking Baekhyun with him, and sprays Baekhyun with the bottle several times, making a small damp spot above his knee.

Jongdae doesn’t have an answer for Baekhyun.  Not one that articulately describes how he feels.  “I can’t swim. Among other things.” Jongdae can learn to swim.  He’s been trying. But the ocean is an entirely different matter, and something about it leaves Jongdae wary.

It’s beautiful, standing on the shore, and when he’s barely knee-deep into the water.  Jongdae’s isn't scared of that. It’s everything further that terrifies him. “Minseok used to be afraid too, but he’s braver than I am.”

“I think you’re very brave.”  Baekhyun says, tilting his head.  “You caught the bird that flew into the house the other day, and you kissed Minseok goodbye this morning.”

“I’m not afraid of kissing Minseok.”  Jongdae says, and despite how awful he feels, Jongdae laughs.

It’s easier with Baekhyun around.  And truthfully, it’s been easier for a long time now.  It helps, being called in by various neighbours to assist with chores around town, neighbours who insist on chatting with him the entire time and making him food afterwards, even though Jongdae’s sure they could have easily completed the tasks on their own.

Jongdae isn't lonely, even though his heart sometimes forgets.

“Do you want to wish for a house on the mountains?”  Baekhyun asks.

“No thank you, Baekhyun, I don’t need anything right now.”

“Okay.”  Baekhyun says.  He pinches Jongdae in the side.  “If you don’t need anything, then why were you crying?  Watch my movie with me, there’s a talking crab, you have to see it.”

~

The house is shrouded in shadows and soft evening sunlight.  Minseok is bustling about, closing windows and drawing the curtains shut, switching the garden lights on for Tan to find his way home.  

“You can’t come for the wedding, Baekhyun.”  Jongdae repeats patiently, turning towards Minseok when he comes to straighten Jongdae’s bowtie.  Jongdae reaches out to return the favor.

“You’ll scare all the guests.”  Minseok says. “It’s a human wedding.  Well-- mostly human, there’ll be a few dogs and cats, I think.”

“Then why can’t I go?  I’ve never been to a human wedding.  I’ll just sit quietly and pretend I don’t talk.  You can put me next to the table decorations.” Baekhyun assures them.

“That’s even weirder.”  Minseok says. “Come, don’t sulk, Baekhyun.  There’s some ham here for your dinner. I’ll put it on top of your rock.”

Baekhyun flops across the rock, protesting, and Minseok lays the slice of ham over him.

“Hey!”  Baekhyun squeaks.  Behind him, Tan sneaks in through the cat-flap and tumbles to the ground.

“Goodbye, Baekhyun.  Goodbye, Tan. Behave yourselves!”  Jongdae calls into the house.

~

A few hours later, Jongdae is forty percent alcohol and thirty percent cake, and he stumbles through the front door with Minseok bringing up the rear.

“Baekhyunnie, we’re home!”  Jongdae calls, full of affection.  “We brought you wedding cake with strawberries!”

Jongdae heads straight for the aquarium, while Minseok hangs their blazers in the hall closet.  Tan sleeps beside the aquarium, paws pressed against the cold glass.

There’s no Baekhyun, no little voice chirping for food or attention.

Jongdae’s heart drops to his toes.

“Baekhyun?”  He says shakily, tiptoeing to look in through the top of the tank.  There’s a cluster of sea grass where Baekhyun likes to sleep sometimes, hidden from sight.  “Baekhyun,” Jongdae whispers, trying to look through the waving strands. “Are you in there?  Wake up.”

A hand brushes against Jongdae’s back and Jongdae leans into the touch, his limbs feeling weak.

“Look to the lower right corner.”  Minseok murmurs into Jongdae’s ear.

Jongdae does, and sees a fuzzy imitation of rock-sand at the bottom of the tank.  Perplexed, he turns his head slightly to meet Minseok’s dancing eyes.

Jongdae lets his gaze scan the tank again, glancing-- not too long this time, at the lump of poorly disguised sand.

“Oh no, Baekhyun is gone.  Who will eat the strawberry cake now?”  Jongdae says, clutching a hand to his chest.  The lump flickers and Jongdae looks away to hide his grin.

“I’ll eat it.”  Minseok offers.

“You do that.  I guess I must empty this tank and make room for a new pet.”  Jongdae says sorrowfully, and the mismatched spot in the sand shifts immediately into an indignant white squid.

“What new pet!”  Baekhyun shrieks.  “You have me!”

“Oh, there you are.”  Jongdae says, smiling.

~

Jongdae wakes up in the middle of the night to find the bed still empty, even though he’d gone to sleep hours ago and thought Minseok would follow shortly after.  But no, Minseok’s side of the bed remains untouched, and for a moment Jongdae worries that he’s gotten mixed up and Minseok is out at sea. It wouldn’t be the first time.

Thankfully, the light is still on downstairs, and Jongdae has a clear view of Minseok sitting at the dining table with his books when he quietly emerges from the bedroom to check.

Jongdae is about to call out to Minseok when he speaks.

“You wouldn’t happen to know anything about the migratory patterns of the giant squid, would you, Baekhyunnie?”  Minseok says, and it’s then that Jongdae notices the jar sitting on the table beside Minseok’s books.

“Would you like me better if I was a giant squid?”  Baekhyun asks.

“Definitely not.”  Minseok says. “You’re already enough trouble, tiny as you are.”

“Then why are you looking for bigger trouble?”

Minseok uncrosses his arms, taking Baekhyun between his palms, and Jongdae sinks to the ground by the top of the stairs, knees folded to his chest.

“Because I’ve been doing this for years, and I still love it as much as I had the day I started.”  Minseok says. “The ocean can be frightening, but it’s incredible, Baekhyun. Everything about it is magic.”

There’s a soft murmur Jongdae does not catch, and Minseok says fondly, “It’s why I was never surprised when we found you.”

“Every week I go out to the ocean, and sometimes I wish I’d never gotten over my fear of it.  I could stay here with Jongdae, and we’d raise a kitten and a little squid, and that’s all I’d ever need.  It would be pretty magical too.”

For a moment, Jongdae entertains the thought.  Jongdae loves his picturesque two-story cottage, and the garden that’s always in bloom even though Jongdae constantly forgets to water it, and Minseok waters it too much.  He imagines waking up in the morning to Minseok and Tan having breakfast, going off to work and knowing that Minseok will be there when he gets home.

But it’s something Jongdae’s thought of and dismissed a billion times before.  He’s talked about it with Minseok too, when they first moved over, and had continued to talk about it since.

The answer from Jongdae is always a resolute no.

He loves living in the home where Minseok grew up, seeing the photographs of Minseok wading in the ocean as a child, and learning the history behind why those photographs stopped.  A decade later, being the person to frame a new picture: Minseok standing on the boarding ramp of the _Black Pearl_ , eyes shining with joy.

“Don’t be sad, Minseok.”  Baekhyun says. “Jongdae loves you.  He doesn’t want you to quit. I offered to make you lose your job, but he turned me down.”

“You did, did you?”  Minseok says, and Jongdae muffles his shaky laugh with his sleeve.

“I requested a transfer to a smaller vessel, and it finally got approved last night.”  Minseok says. “So I’ll only be gone three days a week instead of four. I can do the rest of my research at the library across from Jongdae’s workplace.  It's not much, but that would be nice, wouldn’t it?”

Jongdae’s eyes fill with tears.

“What are you going to do when you find the giant squid?”  Baekhyun is asking, when Jongdae finally regains the composure to listen.

“Maybe,”  Minseok says, and Jongdae can hear the smile in his voice, “I’ll offer him some pizza.”

Jongdae is back in bed with his eyes closed by the time the bedroom door pushes open.  Minseok pulls the blankets up, tucking one of the corners over Jongdae’s shoulder where it’s slipped loose.

“Love you, Jongdae.”  Minseok whispers.

Maybe Jongdae can’t swim, but here, beside the water, he is home.

~

The sunset is a soft mixture of violet and blue, streaked with pinks, as though an artist had been testing his brushes over the canvas of sky.  Baekhyun swims happily in the ocean, digging out small shrimp for Jongdae to put into his dinner pancake.

“Don’t you want to go back into the sea for good?  I’m sure your family and friends miss you, don’t you want to be out there with them?”  Jongdae asks, when Baekhyun huffs ashore again and sprawls across the back of Jongdae’s hand.  Minseok pets him indulgently, and Baekhyun purrs, a habit he’d picked up from Tan once they’d started spending actual time together.

“No, it’s okay, I can always visit.  Besides, Chanyeol lives right down the road with Mrs. Kim.  He’s helping her knit baby clothes in exchange for music.” Baekhyun says.

Minseok drizzles a handful of sand over Baekhyun.  “Is your entire shoal just going around bartering with humans?”

“Not all of us.  But I am! I’ll stay until you decide on your three-hundred wishes.”

“ _Three-hundred!_ ”  Jongdae echoes.

“Lots of wishes.”  Baekhyun sighs. “So many.  And every time you feed me, the number goes up.  It’s almost like you can never use them all.”

Minseok spritzes Baekhyun in the face with the spray bottle.

The sound of tinkling music drifts down from the boardwalk, Jongdae’s ears perk up.  He manages to find the source of it, parked a good forty yards from where they’re sitting.

“Hey, Baekhyun, have you ever had ice-cream?”  Jongdae asks.

Minseok’s looking at him, smiling, and when Jongdae catches his eye, Minseok waves him closer.  Jongdae leans in, and is only slightly surprised when the secret turns out to be a kiss instead.

“Let’s invest in wish three-hundred-and-one.”  Minseok says, plucking the starfish from behind Jongdae’s ear and returning it to the water.  He scoops Baekhyun and his small shrimp collection into his jar, and reaches for Jongdae with his other hand.

It’s a Thursday, and Jongdae thinks it might be his favourite one yet.

 

**Author's Note:**

> i'm sorry to my exo fic repertoire, which now contains three baekhyun-as-a-non-human-entity fics, an utterly unnecessary achievement. 
> 
> but anyway, squid baekhyun wanted to be written so it was done, and i hope some part of you enjoyed this if you’ve made it this far! thank you for reading <3


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